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Spin float honey quality

Has anyone had any honey quality issues with honey that has been run through a Cook & Beals "spin float" system. I have seen beautiful honey come out of these and have also heard of some honey that is turned cloudy with what I presume is aeration. Anyone had any direct experience with this and why it may or may not happen? It may not be accurate to assume that any problems are necessarily attributable to the spinner when, in fact, other causes might be flail uncappers, extractors, pumps or heat exchangers. Aside from the obvious issues of plugged extractors does anyone have any experiences to relate?

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Spin float honey quality

Never had a problem with cloudy honey from my spin float. Normally we let it settle in the tanks over night before we fill the honey into barrels, but sometimes we fill the honey in to barrels the same day and it is not a problem. Even in the sump by the spin float the honey is clear.

My guess for the cloudy honey could be from sucking air somewhere along the system. We had a pump fitting suck air once before spin float and tank days and the honey had a lot of foam on it and came out cloudy. I wonder if running honey through the spin float that is not warm enough could cause the problem as well.

Re: Spin float honey quality

Thanks for the confidence builder Allen. We're making a switchover from a Cowen spinner to the C&B and need to know I'm not screwing up. After pushing a nice crop of low moisture honey through that spinner last year and having to scoop a mountain of wax off our holding tanks I finally made the fateful decision. I agree that the pumps are usually suspect #1 if your honey isn't clear but I have never had any hands on experience with the C&B to know if they can be a problem as well if not operated properly.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Spin float honey quality

we used an early Spin float untill 1980. It did work netter with a gentle heat before entering the separator.I was never impressed with the job it did, but is sure was better than what replaced it. We filled barrels as the tank filled, no waiting.

Re: Spin float honey quality

The c&b I am using is from the early 60's and I've rebuilt it only once. The new units are a big improvement. Making sure the heat exchanger is set to the proper temp and the spinner is running at right rpm. The lower the rpm the less air you get in the honey. I have moyno pump and was sucking air through the packing so I reversed rotation and replumb the pipes and seem to have less air. Love the machine.

Re: Spin float honey quality

Originally Posted by Ian

I despise that job

...and that's the easy part. The toughest is getting that dense tank skimming wax fed through the spinner a handfull at a time. I tried lots of different screening and baffle arrangements and they help some but if you are running much volume you still end up pumping lots of wax into your tanks.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Spin float honey quality

Been there, done that Jim (used a Cowen spinner for a few years). Have had a spin float now for about 4 years. I don't have to push it too hard and always let the honey set for a day or two before I fill barrels, so haven't had a problem with cloudy honey, but have heard of it happening. Large oufit (10,000+ hives) from Gackle, ND was one that I heard of, pushing lots of honey and barreling as they went.

Re: Spin float honey quality

Originally Posted by jim lyon

Has anyone had any honey quality issues with honey that has been run through a Cook & Beals "spin float" system. I have seen beautiful honey come out of these and have also heard of some honey that is turned cloudy with what I presume is aeration. Anyone had any direct experience with this and why it may or may not happen? It may not be accurate to assume that any problems are necessarily attributable to the spinner when, in fact, other causes might be flail uncappers, extractors, pumps or heat exchangers. Aside from the obvious issues of plugged extractors does anyone have any experiences to relate?

Jim,
Our spin float will put aeration foam in certain varietals that are less moisture, more likely to granulate, and that enter the unit at a lower temperature; however, putting the honey into the unit in the mid 90's F helps the wax come out nicer, drier, and with less honey.
On another note.
This unit plug frequently if you have used MAQS in your operation (in contact with supers) during the past 1-3 years. This is another drawback of the MAQS and I believe a remedial issue with the spin float.

Re: Spin float honey quality

Thanks for the response Ryan.... I am a "veteran" of about a month now with our new seperator with nary a "hiccup" yet. It handles a ton an hour with no problem and we have even pushed it beyond that a few times and the cappings still seems pretty dry. I don't have any trouble believing the cappings are running below 1% honey. Pat recommended keeping the inflowing honey temp at 100 to 105 degrees for maximum separator efficiency. I have found it can be a big cooler if the honey isnt too low in moisture. Honey quality looks pretty good, a little light aeration that clears up within a day.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney